the lesson of the titanic, article, 1912

8/3/2019 The lesson of the Titanic, article, 1912

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THE LESSON OF THE ' 'T IT A N IC "

B Y L E W I S N I X O N"

THE incontrovertible facts which stand out in the greatestsea tragedy the world has ever known are that the vesselwas going too fast in a region of known danger and thatthere were not enough life-boats for all persons on board.Sneh indictments will not be made aga in, for stringe nt legislation will secure immediate remedies.

As a prel iminary caution the transat lant ic l ines are al lnow adv ertising tha t the southern route will be used. Togo more to the south for the east-bound vessels necessitatesmoving the west-bound track even farther south, whichsimply means a longer voyage, and this wise plan of keepingeastward and westward bound vessels in different tracks,thus greatly minimizing risk of collision on the North Atlantic, needs no argumen t. Bu t whether grea t de par ture

from the present routes of travel is brought about or not,we may rest secure in the assurance that when passingthrough the iceberg region far more care will be exercisedthan was in the case of the Titanic^ where no special precautions seem to have been taken even after definite warnings.

It may be that the maritime nations will institute a patrolof vessels which at certain seasons will endeavor to keeptrack of the flow of bergs and ice-fields and warn vesselsenter ing such fields by wireless. As a natu ra l sequence allvessels carrying passengers will be required to install wireless equipment and to have operators in such number that

one will always be on duty. Th e necessary cur rent forwireless operation, while drawn from the generators below,will have to be supplemented by generators on the upperdeck run by gas-engines or by storage batteries . D rasticlegislation exacting penalties for failure to respond to callsfor aid may be enacted, though of course this is very dif-

ficult unless the record of wireless operation is absolutely,



TH E LESSON OF TH E ' ' T ITAN IC " 749

distinct from the same influences that write the ship's log.The whole matter, however, resolves itself into the factthat those who go down to the sea in ships must take risks,and that while a vessel lying at a dock may seem an immensestrncture, when at sea she becomes a pygmy and the ocean's

gre atne ss overwhelming. So while outside influences mayin some measure aid in safeguarding ship and passengers,the wisest provisions will be those devoted to making thevessel itself as secure as possible in operation and ia perfecting efficiency of equipment.

Nothing so far has developed an argument against thelarge vessel. It is the w rite r 's opinion tha t they will increase in size so long as harbor appliances can make roomfor them, as the larger vessel is economically a better vesselthan the smaller one, and a designer can put more in safety,more in comfort, and more in profit in a large vessel thanhe can in a smaller one.

Just what opinion will prevail for its use on the vesselsof the future, from the fact that the turbine-engine-drivenboat cannot exert the same backing power that she does ingoing forw ard, is a m at te r of conjecture. "When asked myopinion as to the Mauretania and Lusitania I very franklysaid I should prefer three engines like those of the Kaiser

Wilhelm II.— that is, one amidships and the other two havingthe usual twin-screw arrangement with the vessel builtarou nd the engines and the nece ssary boilers. This design

is well adapted for a transatlantic steamer and one underperfect control at all times. Ex actly the wa y the reciprocating engines of the Titanic worked I have not seen, but assumethat certain by-pass valves were manipulated to reversethem. Y et this, it would seem, took up too much time, andbeside s afforded too little effect in back ing. Th ere was, ofcourse, a safe speed at which, even with the necessary ripping of the double bottom from the impact, thus causkig adangerous loss of buoyancy, the vessel might not have beendamaged seriously, but the tremendous momentum of sucha mass, once it struck, would at almost any speed, unless

capable of quick and powerful reversing of the engines, havecaused fatal injury.

The results of such an accident so far as the ship is concerned are unavoidable. This being the case, the accidentmust be avoided, or, if this is not done, the life of thoseon board must be safeguarded as completely as possible.



750 T H E NOR T H AME E IC AN R E V IE W

There will probably be an extension of the double bottomup the sides, a lifting of transverse bulkheads, fewer watertight doors, and a rearrangement of construction forward.But the general construction of the metal hull has been a

matter of slow evolution, and no effort is spared in making itof ample strength.Obviously, then, we must concern ourselves principally

with the prev entio n of accident and the savin g of life. Themain causes of disaster are fire, which includes destructionby ligh tnin g; collisions w ith moving vessels, or with derelictsand icebe rgs; destruction by time-bombs; and doubtless shipshave been destroyed by m eteors. Fi re on a vessel withnumerous passengers is a calamity so frightful in its possible result that it is most carefully guarded against, andfortunately modern steel construction admits, in a degree, of

confining the fire. Even now, though, there are not sufficientmeans to prevent the spread of fire along the upper decks,where the usefulness of water-tight doors is not so evident.Happily the chance of fire is small under present conditionsof watchfulness, but nevertheless care should be taken, in theoverhaul of laws now under international scrutiny, to lookfully into fire prev entio n. F o r exam ple, it is perfectly safeto smoke in certain prescribed parts of the vessel, but awhipping-post or stocks should be provided for the manwho smokes in his stateroom or keeps matches about him.This may sound overdrawn, but the unburnable ship has no

more been produced than the unsinkable ship.It is claimed that we can receive warning of the presence

of icebergs through the temperature of air and water, butwith the great speeds of the present day such warning isnot to be depended upon.

The eophone is an instrument used to locate objects infog by echo from the whistle of the ship which carries it, theinstrument pointing toward the object making the soundwhen hea rd the same in both ears. It was placed on severalvessels, but seems not to be generally adopted, although ave ry efficient eq uipm ent. Th e subma rine bell now on m ostvessels picks up and indicates the direction of sound o riginating unde r wate r. An extension of its use will be to locatebodies echoing sounds originating on the vessel carrying it.As an incentive to radio e xpe rts, I suggest a needle which willplace itself in the line of waves radiating from anothervessel and so po int to it. I t is prob able, too, th at a wireless



TH E LESSO N OF TH E " TI TAN I C " 751

outfit of tension radically different from the main messageoutfit will be installed for feeling ont in thick weather othervessels within a rad ius of twen ty m iles. Bells can doub tlessbe rung by wireless to warn of another vessel 's approach.

Icebergs may be encountered quite far south, so that the

present practice of adhering to certain lanes, depending uponthe season of the yea r, will doubtless be continued. Bu tvessels, when warned of the presence of ice or while in theice region during certain seasons, will doubtless be requiredto slow down in heavy or very dark weather and will closewater-tight doors in the principal bulkheads.. But how muchbetter to have no doors in them to close!

More attention will be paid to the lookout station in construction and location, and the obvious requirement is thattwo men be carried there at night and in thick weather, andthat proper means be taken to insure that the men continue

awake and alert.The building of vessels of great size and speed calls at

tention to the fact that, apart from size, there is but littledifference in appearance between the vessel of forty yearsago and to-day. A radical recast of the above-water structure is necessary to better adapt vessels to great speed inheavy seas, and in such an evolution the safe launching ofpassengers will have to be given great consideration.

But it is to life-saving appliances on existing vessels thatatten tion is now directed . I t takes some know ledge of thesea and its ways to un dersta nd the boat question. In placing boats on sea-going vessels many tilings must be studied.The arrangement of the boats for lowering, the lifting ofcovers, the removal of the outer chocks upon which the boatsrest, the disposition and lead of the falls, getting the passengers into the boats in safety, lowering and releasing, areall m atte rs of first imp ortance. W hen speaking of the" small boats " of a vessel it must be kept in mind thatthey are no t small. Such boats not only requ ire practicein getting ready to lower, but when lowered down the highsheer side of a liner the greatest skill is required, in breast

ing off, to keep the boats from smashing against the sideand the greatest judgment demanded in releasing them.Boats are not lowered into the water, but are dropped whensome distance above it , and if dropped at the wrong instantare apt to be throw n against the side. No bo ats should hereafter be carried on curved davits when stowed inboard. A



752 T H E N O R T H A M E R I C A N R E V I E W

few boat s fo r qu ick lower ing may be car r i ed on suc l i dav i t sa l ready swung ou t , bu t dav i t s o f the Wel in type shou ld bereq u i r ed fo r t h e r eg u l a r s h i p ' s b o a t s . T h e Titanic w e n tdown in a qu ie t sea , bu t had there been even a modera tesea on the casua l t i es would have been much g re a te r . Th er eshou ld be boat and ra f t accommodat ion enough fo r every oneon board , and tha t we may have th i s on ex i s t ing sh ips manym ore boat s m us t be car r i e d . Th e uns inkab le l i fe -boat isthe bes t whe re i t can be car r i ed a l l rea dy to lower . B u tthe condi t ions of the Titanic acc iden t may be se ldom reproduced, and a l i s t to one s ide, for example, would soon renderlow erin g from the oth er s ide impo ssible . Th e col laps ibletype wi th subs tan t i a l wooden bo t tom i s a good emergencysubs t i tu te when l i fe -boat s enough canno t be car r i ed a t dav i t s .Th e l i fe - ra f t s ha ve g re a t va lue , bu t they shou ld be ma de

mu ch l a r ge r tha n a t p res en t . To s t and f if ty fee t in the a i rand look down in to co ld , dark water t r i es the nerves in away to de ter many f rom jumping in to the sea even wi thlife-belts . Th is difficulty m ig ht be overc om e if chu tes we recons t ruc ted runn ing down the s ides , someth ing l ike the usua lsh ip ' s gangway , which de l ivered those us ing them wel l c l earof the vessel to be picked up. Such mea ns would seem pref-

erab le to be ing lowered in a heav y sea . Th e han d l ing o fboat s by power-der r i cks i s no t des i rab le , as the power supp l i ed f rom below m ay fa i l . La rg e boat s , housed over , inwhich passengers cou ld be s towed away t i l l t he boa t had been

ho is ted c lear and d ropped in to the water would be saferi f power-l i f t ing could be depended upon, and these couldhave the i r own mo t ive power , fo r i t i s a sa fe as se r t ion tha tmany more men can run an au tomobi le eng ine than can pu l lan oar . E ve ntu al l y all the shi ps ' l i fe-boats wi l l be f it tedas m otor -bo at s . A shor t t ime ago a s t eam er p ly ing on theMedi terranean f i t ted one of i t s l i fe-boats wi th a s tandardmotor and coupled the motor to a dynamo as wel l as to thescrew, wi th a v iew to fu rn i sh ing power fo r wi re less workif the main plant gave out .

Of course there i s no excuse i f the boa t s a re no t p roper lyf itted a nd a l l au tom ata in per fec t wo rk ing o rde r . Th erecomes a t ime when the wooden l i fe-boats may leak, and manyvesse l s ca r ry me ta l l i fe -boat s . The o rd in ary canvas fo ld ing-boat does not secure the confidence of sea-going men,though very good fo r in land water nav iga t ion .

In the confusion fol lowing an accident i t i s very hard to



T H E L E S S O N O F T H E " T I T A -N I C " 753

get peop le in to the p r op er boa t s . M any ways wi l l be adop tedbefore the bes t pra ct ic e is secure d. B ut we should , at an yra te , beg in wi th g iv ing every passenger a card s t a t ing thenumber o f h i s l i fe -boat and a p r in ted reques t tha t he t akean ear ly oppo r tun i ty to inspec t the boa t . A s soon as pos

s ible on the voyage there should be a boat dr i l l , the passengers be ing u rged to wi tness i t and a few asked to t akeihe i r p laces in the boa t s . W hi le l eg i s l a t ion wi l l be d ra s t i cand compel l ing, i t i s to be hoped i t wi l l be general enoughto enco urage impro vem ent in l i fe -sav ing equ ipm ent .

In fu tu re i t would be des i rab le i f in l a rge vesse l s a par to f the vesse l a f t were bu i l t wi th meta l top and bo t tom andso secu red th at i t could be laimc hed ov erb oa rd a s a f loatingpon too n o r ra f t in case the vesse l s inks . In such s t ruc tu rethere could be a smal l wireless outf i t and some provis ionsin a concen t ra ted fo rm.

A n o t h e r mean s o f s a f eg u a rd i n g h as b een p ro p o s ed —n amely , the sai l ing of vessels in pai rs—^but th is p lan does notseem to ha ve muc h to com me nd i t . A s a rule , l ines do notadd new vesse l s in such numbers as to render th i s poss ib le ,and to couple up an old vessel wi th a new one s imply reducesthe new to the level of the old .

Safety at sea wi l l be greater as an outcome of the accident ,bu t p rogress mus t no t be bar red as a resu l t , and in connect ionwi th in land water nav iga t ion i t i s to be remembered tha tmuch i s p roper ly permi t t ed which cou ld no t be a l lowed onthe ocean.

We have in our ba t t l e -sh ips dev ices to show when wateren ters compar tments , and by s imple and economica l dev icesi t would be poss ib le to have the dep th to which water hasr i sen ind ica ted on the b r idge , and on m erc han tm en a s wel l ason our men-of -war search- l igh t s shou ld be car r i ed .

Vesse l s wi l l be made p rogress ive ly be t t e r , s t ronger , sa fer ,and speed ier . I juxu ry and com for t a r e no t in themselvesbad , bu t t rave lers have a r igh t to expec t tha t they are addedby the naval des igner a f t e r p rov id ing every p roper dev icefor safe ty . W e have ha d a sad awa ken ing to the fac t th a t ,

w h i l e w e h av e ap p l au d ed p ro g re s s an d i mp ro v em en t i n o ceanl iners dur ing th i s genera t ion , l aws af fec t ing the i r management in the in te res t o f the t rave l ing pub l ic have no t kep tpace wi th advance in cons t ruc t ion .

L E W I S N I X O N .

VOL. cxcv.—NO. 679 48

the lesson of the titanic, article, 1912

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